The way we eat is unsustainable. Modern industrial agriculture, extractive capitalism and voracious Western appetites are all to blame.
Finding alternatives to current farming methods is fundamental to solving the climate crisis. The search is already underway, with ‘alternative meat’ companies such as Beyond meat, This and Meatless farm now successfully entering UK supermarkets.
However, to bring our planet back to life, we need a variety of solutions adapted to different climates and landscapes. So should this include eating insects?
benefit
Nutrition
More than 2 billion people worldwide, especially in Asia, Africa and South America, already eat insects as a major part of their diet. This is no surprise, as they are safe to eat, plentiful, calorie-dense, and nutrient-dense.
Insects provide high-quality complete protein—up to 69 percent, depending on how they are prepared—much more than meat or fish. They’re complete because they contain all nine essential amino acids and are rich in fiber, iron and calcium.
environmental impact
Research into the farming of edible insects has grown rapidly, and there are now more than 400 companies worldwide producing insect protein.
Insects can be farmed almost anywhere with minimal environmental impact. French company Ynsect uses 98% less land per kilogram of beef and emits 40 times less carbon.
Francesco Majno, the Italian entrepreneur behind Small Giants cricket treats, claims his crickets emit less than 0.1 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions of cows while producing the same amount of protein.
Insects also require very little water – even less than chickpeas! They feed on by-products of the food industry. Their manure is used as fertilizer for crops – all contributing to a circular economy.
efficiency
Many insects also mature in a matter of days, rather than the months or years that livestock take, and can produce thousands of offspring—making them remarkably efficient.
Their life cycle is also very conducive to factory farming: they generate heat during some stages of life and need it during others, so indoor farms are more efficient than outdoor farms in warmer climates.
obstacle
nasty factor
Despite these benefits, we still have a long way to go before insects take a prominent place in Western diets.
Insect protein is not as enticing as alternative meat, and will compete with brands with a long history, big marketing budgets and lower prices.
Whole insects from Eat Grub did hit Sainsbury’s shelves in 2018, but have since been pulled – suggesting Westerners aren’t ready for crunchy roasted crickets yet.
Currently, using insects in familiar products like mince, biscuits and cornflakes is a more surefire path to approval. VEXo Mince, a plant- and insect-based mince, is a great example of how insects are slowly being woven into wildly popular foods like burgers and meatballs.
Brexit
People were free to eat and trade insect products in the UK until new EU food regulations were introduced. However, Brexit has complicated matters and the transition agreement does not clarify the legal status of edible insect products in the UK.
Because insects are classified as a novel food, there are costly hurdles to the trade. Companies must apply for authorization for their products, which is not an easy process and has become a significant financial challenge for many companies.
However, positive progress has been made. Late last year, the Food Standards Agency approved the re-marketing of certain species of mealworms, crickets and flies in the UK as they were covered by the EU transition agreement.
transition
But attitudes are starting to change. The edible insect market is expected to be worth £3.36 billion by 2027.
The future of food is one where insects become part of the solution, helping us escape the disastrous land-intensive industrial agriculture most of us are currently thriving on.
It took decades for the plant-based food movement to get to where it is now, so it would be a huge win if insects could do the same.
the author
Sophie Johnson is a Zoology graduate with a passion Conservation Blogger from England.
